With the mounting pressure on available land for agriculture due to industrialization, increased population and climate change, rational use of available land is inevitable. This cannot be achieved without adequate and current information and knowledge on the characteristics of the soils. Hence, the morphological, physical and chemical characteristics of the Nun River plain soils of Bayelsa State were studied. Nine profile pits were dug on various landscape positions (levee crest, middle slope and lower slope) in Odi, (ODI) Koroama (KRM) and Niger Delta University teaching and research farm (NDU), making three pits in each location. The soils were dominated by silt-sized particles, weakly structured in the upper layers and consistence also friable to slightly firm. pH was moderately to slightly acid, ranging from 5.64 to 6.30, available P (mg/Kg) from 0.6 to 22 and organic C from 0.11 to 5.26%, exchangeable bases, except K and CEC were low. The soils are classified according to United States Department of Agriculture (Soil Survey Staff, 2014) and Food and Agriculture Organisation and (FAO/ISRIC, 2014) as Inceptisol and Cambisol, having udic moisture regime and iso hyperthermic temperature regime. Only ochric epipedon and cambic B horizon are encountered as diagnostic horizons. The ODI1soils was classified as Humic Dystrudepts (Fluvic Cambisol), ODI2 soils, KRM2, NDU2 and NDU3 into Aquic Dystrudepts (Fluvic Cambisol), ODI3 Aeric Epiaquepts (Fluvic Cambisol), KRM1, Udic Dystropepts (Humic-fluvic Cambisol), KRM3, Typic Epiaquepts (Fluvic Cambisol), and NDU1, Udic Dystropepts (Fluvic Cambisol).
Citation: Achimota Ayadei Dickson, Payou, Tugwell Ogboin & Joseph Onyindoubara Tate (2021) Morphology, Characterisation and Classification of Nun River plain Soils in Bayelsa State, Nigeria, Global Journal of Agricultural Research , Vol.9, No4, pp.25-48
Keywords: Characterization, Classification, Morphology, Nun River, floodplain
